Monthly Archives: December 2010

You know the feeling: After struggling with a problem for a while, you simply take your mind off it and move on to something else — and suddenly, just the right idea or phrase pops into your head seemingly out … Continue reading →

Just recently, a friend of mine was decribing her reaction to Freedom, the new Jonathan Franzen novel. While she thought the writing was impressive, she just didn’t find the characters likeable, so she felt disappointed and lukewarm about the book. … Continue reading →

“A well-crafted story does not want to rest; it wants desperately to keep moving.” Richard Walter Inertia, simply described, is the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest. While this works in physics, it’s deadly in storytelling. … Continue reading →

“Here’s a rare thing, a painter who can write.” Sinclair Lewis While watching a PBS American Masters special on Thomas Hart Benton, a populist American artist who’s been both praised and panned, a brief comment about his autobiography, An Artist … Continue reading →

Isn’t it wonderful how a book can give you a glimpse into another life and open it up for you like a door? Reading a review of two new works about 19th century Native American tribal leaders, Crazy Horse and … Continue reading →

I love unlikely success stories about writers, don’t you? They offer such hope! They underscore just how unpredictable and mysterious the writing life can be. So often writers seem to be bewitched, bothered, and bewildered when it comes to getting … Continue reading →

Looking around me as I write this, I am surrounded by books. In my small office, there are three bookcases crammed with them and there are more sitting in stacks. Growing up, it was the same: we were surrounded by … Continue reading →